


go about things the wrong way

by mummifiedteenagedream



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Band, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Ashton being the voice of reason, Calum sorta just agreeing with Ashton, Fluff, Luke being a whiny bitch, M/M, Michael being the romantic he is, sorta angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-05 04:38:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14036334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mummifiedteenagedream/pseuds/mummifiedteenagedream
Summary: Thanks to Mother Nature and whatever other evil counterpart she was working with, every single last soul on the Earth had a soulmate. You stopped ageing when you were 18 until you met said soulmate. Luke was starting to lose his patience with the whole thing.OrSoulmates. Pretty much it.





	go about things the wrong way

“This isn’t fair! I’ve looked 18 for the past 3 fucking years!” Luke shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. “When am I gonna meet them?” He let out miserably.

Ashton and Calum, sitting on the sofa facing their friend, looked at him sadly. They’d found eachother when they were 16 and 17, not even having the chance for their ageing to slow down. 

Thanks to Mother Nature and whatever other evil counterpart she was working with, every single last soul on the Earth had a soulmate. You stopped ageing when you were 18 until you met said soulmate. Luke was starting to lose his patience with the whole thing.

He was nearly a full foot shorter than his friends, looking like he was fresh out of the womb, as Ashton put it. The thought of being 21 in his 18 year old body pissed Luke off. He wanted to be able to buy cigarettes and alcohol without being asked for his ID, and for the cashier not to throw him sympathetic glances when they gave him said ID back.

Luke threw his head back onto the sofa, “how do I even know it’s them?” He whined

“You just know, warm feeling in your belly and all that shit. Look, it’s gonna be fine man, honestly.” Calum offered, not knowing that it wasn’t fine.

“You can’t say shit, Hood. You met Ashton when you were 16.” Luke seethed.

He stood up from the sofa, and paced.

“You don’t understand, do you? Being 18 for 3 years is starting to fuck me over. I’m horny all the time, do you both know what that’s like? I see a hot person, and fucking junior down here thinks it’s party time,” he said while pointing at his crotch, “I want to be able to just be my age now, just so I’m not horny all the time, and so I can have sex with the same person every single time. I don’t even care who my soul mate is, I really don’t. At this point, screw them. My life has been a misery because of them.”

————

“Yes ma, I’m in the car now. No I haven’t met them yet. I’ll see you soon.” Michael sighed as he hung up, rubbed his forehead, and gripped the steering wheel.

Michael had just gotten back to home and his mum was already 100 questions a minute. He loved his parents, he really did, but being on tour gave him a break from them. He loved it, being able to play his music to people, he really did.

But now, he was on a 6 month break from all job related duties, and of course he chose to come back home. A decision he regretted instantly. 

Michael was already turning down his parent’s street, thanking his parents silently for living so close to the airport.

He pulled into the driveway, slamming the car door shut as he jumped out of it. He noted mentally to have someone come by and collect the rental for him.

Michael strode into his parents house. “I’m home!” He shouted. 

His mother walked from the kitchen with open arms, “welcome home, baby!” She beamed. 

“Alright, ma? Where’s dad?” He asked, hugging the older woman.

She let go and smiled at her son, “he’s still working sweetheart. He should be back before,” she stopped to look at her watch, “6:30. It’s 1:50 now. What do you want to do? Go see some friends?” She asked. 

Michael started to walk up the stairs, “nah, friends probably don’t even remember me. I’m gonna sleep if I’m honest. I’m jet lagged as fuck.”

“Just because you’re famous, doesn’t mean you can swear in this house young man.” Was the last words he heard before he swung his bedroom door open. 

Michael closed it lightly, jumped on his bed, and was asleep before he knew it. 

————

_**3 weeks later**_

Calum, Ashton and Luke ended up in a little cafe they’d never been to before. 

They’d ordered food, and were currently eating it.

Calum had his phone in his hand and let out a light laugh, “did you see who came back a couple of weeks back?” He asked, looking in Luke’s direction. 

Luke rolled his eyes, “let me guess, Michael Clifford?”

Calum nodded, picking up the other half of his sandwich in the process. 

Ashton looked at Luke, lifting his cup of tea and taking a sip before talking, “I don’t get it Luke, why do you hate the guy so much? From what Calum has said, he’s a cool guy.”

Luke shrugged, “his music is wank and he loves himself. Simple. I have no time for idiots like that.” 

They continued to eat in silence. The cafe was full of school girls drinking coffee and tea, talking loudly about Michael being back. 

“He’s just so dreamy, I hope we get to see him. He might be my soulmate!” One gushed.

Luke laughed to himself silently. Michael Clifford didn’t have it in him to love anybody. The guy was so in over his head about himself, Luke had decided.

The three of them got up, left the cafe and got into Luke’s car, Calum in the front and Ashton in the back. 

“You gonna go see him, Calum?” Ashton questioned whilst putting his seatbelt on. 

Calum looked at his boyfriend in the rearview mirror, “I don’t know Ash. Haven’t seen the guy in over 3 years. He likes time to himself. Last time he was home, he didn’t let anyone go and see him. Probably burnt out from being on the road constantly.”

Luke pulled his car out of the car park and drove towards the flat he shared with Calum and Ashton. 

“Right lads,” he started, “I’ve to dump you back home. I start work at 2:30 and I’d prefer not to be late this time. Will one of you be able to get me my bag and give me it down?” The blond asked. 

Calum nodded.

“Why are you working today anyways, Luke? I thought you were off?” Ashton questioned from the back.

“Ruth is doing my shift tomorrow so I can have a long weekend, so I’m doing the last 4 hours of her shift today.”

Luke loved his job. He worked in a bookstore that offered coffee on the side. And that’s where he came in. He took a year off from uni to ‘find himself’ as he put it, so getting a part-time job was the only way to keep himself busy and pay the bills at the same time.

————

Luke was bored shitless. He’d made 4 cups of coffee in the last 3 hours and 45 minutes, and 2 of them were for him.

“Did you see whose home, Luke?” His co-worker Katie asked. 

Luke put his head on the counter, “Michael Clifford. Yeah, yeah I know. That’s the only thing I’ve heard today. I honestly give two fucks about him.”

The bell swung on the door and Luke looked up, ready with a smile on his face to greet the customer. 

And it slowly dropped. 

Michael, wearing sunglasses and a cap to cover his red hair, walked up to the counter.

And Luke’s stomach flipped, warmth spreading throughout his body.

 _‘No,’_ he thought, _‘please God not him.’_

Luke wanted to cry. He’d waited his whole life for his soulmate. Not for it to be someone who made him want to be sick every time he heard his name or seen his face.

“Hi, ca-,” Michael started, “oh my God, it’s you. I can’t believe I finally found you.”

Luke was angry, so fucking angry.

“Leave me alone,” Luke raged, “don’t ever try to find me.”

Luke walked from behind the counter, removing his apron, and turned around. 

“Katie my shift is over. Tell Tyler he has to clean the coffee machine before 8:30.”

And with that, Luke walked out the door. Leaving a confused Michael standing at the counter, and Katie not knowing what just happened.

————

It was the next morning. Luke went to sleep angry, and now he woke up angry.

He left bed with a groan, and made his way into the living room. Calum and Ashton were sitting on the sofa, eating cereal and watching Judge Judy.

“Hey, what’s up?” Luke asked, scratching his head. 

They both turned around to look at their friend, when they both gasped. 

“What the actual fuck man,” was the only words Ashton could seem to form.

Luke was confused, “is there something on my face?” He wiped it, suddenly becoming self-conscious.

“Have you looked at yourself this morning, mate? Go to the bathroom now.” 

And he did what he was told.

 _‘Since when was the mirror this low down?’_ He asked himself internally.

Luke bent down to look into it, and he screamed. Acne was gone and was replaced with stubble. He’d lost all the chub in his face, now being able to see that he did in fact have a sharp jawline and prominent cheekbones. 

He ran out of the bathroom confused, Ashton and Calum standing in the living room in disbelief.

“I have to look up to talk to you now,” slipped out of Calum’s mouth.

Ashton took a step closer to his friend and inspected him, walking around him in circles. He jabbed Luke’s chest, which was firmer than it’d ever been before.

“Who is it, Luke?” Ashton demanded.

Luke refused to answer him.

Ashton shoved Luke onto the sofa and hung over the top of him, pointing his finger in his face. 

“You listen here, mate. We’ve had to listen to your whiny bullshit about your soulmate for 3 fucking years now. If you don’t tell me who it is, I will lock you in this apartment until you let it out. Now tell us now. Who is it?” He poked Luke in the chest, who let out a small ‘ouch’.

“It’s _him_!” Luke shouted angrily, “of course it had to be _him_!” 

“Who!?” Ashton shouted back, “there are plenty of ‘hims’ in the fucking world Luke!”

And Calum began to laugh. He was laughing hysterically because he knew. Calum knew fine rightly who it was.

He wiped a tear from his eye, “it’s Michael, isn’t it Luke?”

Then Ashton laughed. It was karma. Luke hated him. The fella had done nothing on Luke, so it was karma catching up with him. 

It was too much for Luke. So he did the only thing that was suitable for the situation: he cried. He felt pathetic. He was sitting in the living room, in his underwear not to mention, crying in front of his best friends.

Ashton and Calum sat down on either side of him, one arm each snaked around the boys waist.

“Hey, it’s fine.” Ashton soothed, rubbing the boy’s back. 

“Luke, I’m not trying to be a dick,” Calum began, “but Michael has probably spent his whole life looking for you, you’re supposed to be together. There’s nothing than can change that. If you got to know him, you’d probably feel different about the whole thing.”

Luke sniffed and wiped his tears away.

“I told him to leave me alone and not to come and find me. I left him standing in the middle of my work, not even knowing my name, and told him to leave me alone. I feel absolutely terrible now.”

Ashton laughed again, “you didn’t even tell him your name? Jesus fuck, Luke. That’s harsh man, even by your standards.”

The younger boy stood up, his friends following, “I feel shit about the whole thing now. Thanks guys.” He walked towards his bedroom and slammed the door. 

Ashton flopped himself back onto the sofa and sighed, Judge Judy still blaring in the background.

“Is there anything you can do, Cal?” Ashton asked. 

Calum sat down beside his boyfriend and he pulled out his phone. 

“I can text him? But no doubt he doesn’t have my number saved.”

_**To:** Michael Clifford_

_Hey man, it’s Calum. Are you okay to speak?_

_It was 5 minutes before he got a reply back._

_**From:** Michael Clifford_

_Hey, how’ve you been? Yeah dude, what’s up?_

_**To:** Michael Clifford_

_I’m all good, you? Listen, you met my friend Luke last night. He feels bad about the whole thing._

Calum sighed, it’d been 20 minutes since he’d text Michael. 

“You should just phone him,” Ashton offered.

“Nah that’s weir-“ He was cut off by his phone buzzing. Michael had phoned him first. 

“Hello?” Calum answered. 

“Where does he live, Cal.” Michael drawled out.

Ashton was buzzing with excitement. He felt like Calum and himself were setting Luke and Michael up.

“He lives with me and my boyfriend Ashton, mate.”

————

Luke went back to sleep. And when he woke, he was furious with himself. It was 3PM. He’d slept basically his whole day off away. He yawned, stretched, and got out of bed. 

He went to get dressed when he slowly realised that none of his clothes fit anymore.

_**To:** Ashton_

_bring me some of ur clothes in_

Within 5 minutes, Ashton opened the door, threw the clothes in, and closed it again.

Luke looked at the pile of clothes on the floor, shrugged and started to put them on, he noticed that the joggers were too short on his legs, but at this point he didn’t care. 

He lay back down on his bed, hands crossed behind his head. He felt bad. Luke Hemmings, for once in his life, felt bad. Sure, he didn’t like the guy, but he had to come to terms with the fact at some point that he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with him. 

Luke didn’t think the he was ugly, he really didn’t. He just looked like an awkward 18 year old, well, what Luke had seen so far. He hadn’t seen him as his real 23 year old self yet. He knew he’ll have been spotted somewhere and the photos all over the internet, but Luke didn’t bother searching. It was out of his hands now, the Michael thing, he’d never seen him again, and that was that. All Luke cared about was the fact he looked his age now. 

————

_**18 months later** _

A whole 18 months had passed from Luke met Michael, and it was probably the best 18 months of Luke’s life. A week after they met, Calum had tried to talk him into meeting Michael, but Luke didn’t want to listen. After that, the elder never came looking for him and Luke was content with that. 

Luke had been spotted by a modelling scout 3 months after he met Michael. 8 months after that, he left Australia and made his runway debut in New York. Every runway after, he silently thanked Michael. After all, if he didn’t meet Michael, he wouldn’t have this life.

Luke was sitting in his apartment in New York, and the rain was beating off the window. It was a nice apartment, different from what he shared with Calum and Ashton. It was more clinical than homely. Gone was washing hanging off radiators, dishes in the sink, off beige walls, and the hole in Calum and Ashton’s door. It was all replaced with grey walls, a clean living space, and no housemates to make him smile when he was having a bad day. 

He missed home. But he missed the mystery of who his soulmate was. Michael had done well for himself. He’d already finished another headline tour, and was in the middle of writing his 3rd album. When Michael was in New York, Luke went back to Australia, and when Michael was in Australia, Luke went back to New York. Luke didn’t want confrontation. 

Luke stood up from the sofa, and went to sit at the chair beside the window. He checked the time on his lock screen before he unlocked his phone. He facetimed Calum in hopes he could talk both him and Ashton. 

He was near sure he wasn’t going to answer, when Ashton’s face appeared.

“Hey Luke! What’s up?” His friend asked. 

Luke smiled, “not a whole lot. What are you and Calum up to?”

Ashton panned the camera to the left. Luke chucked, realising they were both still in bed.

“We haven’t left bed yet. What’s wrong?” Calum asked. 

Luke pushed his free hand through his hair, “I miss you guys, a lot. That’s all.” He pushed his bottom lip out.

His friends let out a laugh at the same time, “for being a ridiculously famous model, you still behave like a child, Luke.” Said Ashton.

Luke smiled at them, “I’m not that famous.”

“So, have you seen Michael yet?” Ashton asked.

Luke stood up and sighed, “now why would I do such a silly thing like that?” He questioned. He entered his kitchen, propping the phone up against the tiled wall on the counter. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.

Ashton shrugged, “I don’t know. I was just wondering. Has he not even bothered contacting you?”

Luke shook his head to say no, drinking from the bottle.

“Nah, don’t blame the guy. But hey, he doesn’t need me, right? Probably has a ton of groupies following him at all times.”

Calum and Ashton looked at him blankly.

“So when are you coming back home?” Calum asked, breaking the silence. 

Luke walked back into his living room and sat down on the sofa, “I’ve a flight tomorrow morning my time, mum’s birthday and all that. Gonna be back home for a month hopefully, unless Michael decides to appear out of nowhere.” He picked up his TV remote, “can I stay with you guys?”

“We’ve told you before, you don’t need to ask. As long as you aren’t dragging 15 year old girls along to our door, we don’t care.” Calum stated.

Luke rolled his eyes, flicking through the channels, “well I like to be a nice friend, y’know? Don’t like showing up uninvited.”

“We’re gonna head Luke, gotta get this house into some sort of order if you’re coming back. Let us know when you land.” Ashton said.

And with that, the call was ended.

Luke hoped he could stay home longer than a month. He missed it. There wasn’t a beach 5 minutes from his house in New York, he missed the constant rays of sunshine, and being able to stick shorts and flip-flops on to dander to the shop.

He looked at the suitcase beside his front door, hoping he had remembered everything.

————

“Hey! Over here, Luke!” Was shouted across the terminal.

Luke looked over to his left, to see Calum and Ashton waving at him, shit eating grins on their faces. He laughed at them and pulled his suitcase a bit faster. He phoned them as soon as he got off the plane. 

“What’s up guys? Didn’t expect you both to pick me up.” He let go of the suitcase and embraced both of his friends.

“Well, we wouldn’t expect you to deal with public transport, God forbid.” Calum exaggerated, pulling a hand to his chest.

Luke rolled his eyes, “can we stop by my mum’s house first?”

Calum nodded.

Ashton pulled the handle of Luke’s suitcase and started pulling it, motioning for his friend’s to follow him.

The walk through arrivals was quiet. Nobody batted an eyelash at Luke, which he was silently thankful for. He usually couldn’t go anywhere without someone shoving a camera in his face.

They got to the front doors of the airport, and noticed a crowd of girls gathered there. None of them looked at Luke.

“Who are they here for?” Luke asked.

Ashton, still walking ahead with the suitcase, replied, “I don’t know. C’mon quick, the car is parked across this pavement.”

Calum scratched his head, not answering Luke when he looked at him. Luke shrugged and continued the short walk to Ashton’s car. They reached it, and Ashton opened the boot, sliding the suitcase in. Luke got into the back, Calum into the front.

Screaming came from the airport, and Luke looked to his left. Ashton and Calum groaned. Ashton started the car and tried to manoeuvre out of the space quickly.

“Who is it, Calum?” Luke deadpanned, “don’t make me ask again.”

And that’s when Luke caught a glimpse of white-blonde hair. His stomach flipped like it did the first time, and he punched the chair in front of him.

Calum turned around, “do you mind!? This is why we don’t tell you fucking anything!”

Luke gritted his teeth, “I’m going back to New York tomorrow, fuck this shit. I do not need this.”

Ashton pushed the parking card into the meter, drove when the barrier lifted, and pulled into a small lay-by. He turned the engine off, and turned around to Luke.

“Luke, this is his home too. You can’t act like a pissy little bitch about this, at all. You are not getting a flight tomorrow, we aren’t letting you. It’s your mother’s birthday next week and you sure as hell aren’t missing it.” Ashton spoke in a stern tone.

Luke grumbled, and rested his head against Calum’s chair.

“And by the way, don’t punch our shit. We don’t have the money to replace it!”

————

Ashton’s car pulled into the drive at the Hemmings’ household.

“Do you want us to come in with you?” Ashton asked.

Luke nodded as he opened the car door. He readjusted the sunglasses on his face and strode to the front door.

“The walk to the front door isn’t a catwalk, y’know!” Somebody shouted from a window.

Luke looked up, and seen his older brother Jack hanging out the window. He laughed and flipped him off.

He opened the door and walked in. The smell of home instantly filled his nose and he felt like crying. He missed it, he really did. Everything was exactly the same, only now there was magazines with Luke’s face on them sitting on the bench just left of the front door.

He walked into the kitchen to see his mum standing at the cooker, stirring a pot.

“Hey mum,” he smiled.

Liz turned around, and gasped.

“Luke! What are you doing here?!” She exclaimed. 

She walked over to her son and hugged him tightly, he put his arms around her.

“Well, it’s your birthday next week and I’ve the next month off, so I’m back for a while!” He laughed

She let go of him, looked at his face and pinched his cheek, “you get more and more handsome everytime I see you.”

Luke cringed under her hand and she let go.

“Are you staying for dinner?” She asked, turning her back to him again.

Ashton and Calum entered the kitchen. 

“Well, Ash and Cal are here.”

Liz turned back round again, hugging the boys.

“Hi, Mrs Hemmings.” They both said.

“You’re all staying for dinner, that’s it.”

————

The three boys joined Liz and Jack for dinner.

“Your father is still at work and Ben is away on holidays, Luke, but I’m sure you’ll see your father tonight and Ben before you leave for America again. Are you staying with Ashton and Calum?” She asked, motioning the fork in her hand to the boys facing her.

Luke nodded with a mouth full of chicken.

“So anything big happening, Lu?” Jack questioned. He reached for the gravy boat, pouring more on his dinner.

“Not really,” Luke pushed the green beans around his plate, “I’ve a magazine cover coming up next month as far as I know.”

Jack let out a small ‘ah’ before going back to his dinner.

They all sat in silence, the only noise being knives and forks hitting plates until Liz spoke up.

“Have you met him again, son?” She asked softly. She didn’t want to intrude, but Luke never spoke about what happened with Michael with his parents and they respected that. But Liz was growing impatient. She didn’t want Luke going the rest of his life alone.

Luke sighed, “no, I haven’t. He hasn’t bothered finding me, so I see no point in the matter.”

Liz looked at Calum and Ashton, who shrugged their shoulders, and Liz began to rub her temples.

“I seen him, last time he was back Luke.” Jack said. 

Everybody looked at Jack, who smiled.

“Where? Did you speak to him?” Luke demanded. 

“Nah, he must’ve thought I was you though, because he kept staring at me. Was in the shopping centre were you three dweebs used to hang out.”

“Okay from now on,” Luke raised his voice, “nobody tells me they’ve seen him, and nobody tells me if they’ve spoke to him. Got it?”

————

Calum and Ashton had fairly upgraded from the flat. The last time he was home, they hadn’t moved into the house.

It was in a cosy little cul-de-sac, with grass lawns and flower beds. They lived in the house in the middle of them all, and Luke loved it. It was just Calum and Ashton all over, with the white picket fence, and the bench on their porch.

When they pulled up, Calum’s car was parked just in front of the garage. They got out of the car, Luke pulling his suitcase out of the boot, and walked up the steps to the front door.

When Ashton opened it, Luke was amazed. Their living room and dining room were combined. An exposed brick chimney breast was in the middle of the wall the, surrounded by black leather sofas, and a rug underneath the coffee table, their dining table closer to the kitchen. The room smelt like their flat. It smelt like home. And Luke wanted to cry.

He wanted the life they had. Not some stupid apartment that just smelt new. Luke had a house, not a home. He was living in a place that didn’t have any sign of Luke anywhere in it. At Calum and Ashtons though, there was shoes left at the base of the staircase, and Ashton’s work pass hanging beside a chalk board, that had ‘remember your keys!’ wrote with a heart beside it.

Luke was pulled out of his daze by Ashton yelling. 

“Harley! Here, girl!”

A big, golden retriever bounded down the stairs and into the living room, wagging her tail from excitement.

She jumped up on Luke, licking at his hands as he tried to stroke her, “hey, gorgeous!” He laughed out.

Calum smiled, “you can sit down you know.”

Luke made his way over to the three-seater sofa and sat down, Harley shoving her face into his lap immediately. His friends followed, Calum sitting in the arm chair and Ashton sitting on the other end of Luke and Harley.

“Your house is beautiful.” Luke stated, hands knotted in Harley’s fur.

“What, this old place?” Ashton snorted, “probably nothing on where you live, mate.”

Luke shook his head, “no,” he said, “this feels like a home. How many bedrooms is it?”

Calum was thumbing through his phone when he replied, “three technically, but we converted one into an office for Ashton. We’ll give you a tour later on.”

Ashton looked Luke dead in the eye, and the younger boy gulped. He knew Ashton had something to say. Could he just say it, and not stare Luke in the eyes, putting the fear of God into him?

“We needa speak, Luke. Can I show you something?”

Luke nodded. He felt like he was 10 again, getting in trouble for breaking his dad’s favourite mug. 

Ashton left the sofa, and came back 5 minutes later with a small box, a4 in size.

“What’s that?” He asked.

Ashton set the box on his knee as he sat down and rubbed at his temples.

“Want me to, Ashton?” Calum offered, as he looked up from his phone.

Ashton nodded at his boyfriend.

Calum got up, lifted the box, sat it on Luke’s knee, then sat back down. 

“We’re not telling you what’s in the box, but we want you to open it when we’re not here, or anybody for that matter. If you want, you can go out to the back garden and open it?” Calum stated. There wasn’t a hint of emotion in his voice. 

Luke felt a lump in his throat and nodded. He wondered what it could be. Was it something that Luke had left behind in the flat? He couldn’t think.

He stood up from his seat, Calum pointing to the kitchen, and Luke walked.

He opened the back door to see the garden. It was beautiful and Luke was in awe from it. The deck stretched out about 1/3 over the grass, enough to have tables, chairs and a barbecue placed on it. Flowers lined either side of the grass, and a small football net was placed at the back underneath a tall tree.

Luke closed the door after Harley got out, and sat on a chair at the table. He placed the box on the table and read the writing on the box. It had, ‘when Luke comes home again’ scrawled across the top, not handwriting that Luke recognised anyways.

He took a deep breath, and began to pull the top of it open. There was 17 envelopes to be precise, with ‘To be opened by Luke Hemmings’ wrote on every single one of them.

————

It took Luke at least 2 and a half hours to open and read all the letters. He was crying, a sobbing mess. But he told himself it was down to jetlag. He wiped his tears with the sleeve of his jumper, and tried to calm himself down. He noticed the half full ashtray on the table, and took his cigarettes out of his pocket. He lit one, and exhaled.

Ashton opened the back door and Calum followed him out, closing the door behind him.

They sat down at the table with him, Calum lifting the packet of cigarettes and lighter, sliding one out for himself and lit it.

“Hey!” Luke exclaimed hoarsely as he stubbed out his own.

Calum laughed lightly, “you’ve got money to burn, it’s one cigarette.” He inhaled and exhaled smoothly.

Ashton pointed at Harley.

“She lies at people’s feet like that when they’re upset.”

Luke slumped slightly in the deck chair. He didn’t want them to know he was upset. They’d say ‘I told you so,’ and Luke didn’t want that. 

Luke hesitated. But he needed to know. 

“How did you get these?” 

Calum inhaled again, and pointed his cigarette at Ashton.

Ashton smiled at him, but with sadness laced behind it.

“When he’s home, we hang out with him, Luke. Michael’s a real sweet guy, he never stops speaking about you pal.”

Calum agreed with Ashton as he stubbed his cigarette out beside Luke’s, “he sends them to us. Told us to give them to you when we thought was best. So, we decided today. You’re home for a month, and so is he.”

Luke shook his head in frustration. How dare they. How dare, _his best friend’s_ , betray him. They’d been dancing with the enemy the whole time, and Luke was an innocent bystander looking at the back of his head the whole time, oblivious to who was on the other side.

“Go on, just say it.” Luke wasn’t upset anymore, he was pissed. 

Ashton sighed, “there’s no need for us to say anything, mate. You’re 23 now, and we aren’t your parents. Just do the right thing, and stop thinking about yourself, okay?” It was soft. Ashton wasn’t angry at him.

Ashton had a lot of time for Luke. He was like his little brother, who he just wanted to guide on the right path. The last year and a half wasn’t fair on Michael, and that was what pissed Ashton off. 

Michael had a heart of gold. He left Luke alone for all this time, because he wanted what Luke wanted.

————

Luke hadn’t left the guest bedroom of his friend’s house in 4 days until Calum and Ashton had left for the day. He didn’t want to see anybody. Calum and Ashton both worked during the week so it played in Luke’s favour.

He walked down the stairs and was greeted by Harley. He stroked her head and headed for the back garden, snagging his sunglasses on the way out. 

He sat down on the steps leading into the garden and lit a cigarette, scrolling through the news app on his phone.

‘ _ **Michael Clifford to take break from music?**_ ’ was a headline that caught his eye.

He raised an eyebrow, and clicked the article. Nothing wrong with being curious, right?

‘ _ **Australian Singer, Michael Clifford taking a break from music?**_

_The 24 year old spoke to our entertainment reporter, Ayla, last week and confirmed the rumours._

_Ayla met with Michael in his hotel room New York, and told her everything there was to know._

_**A:** So, Michael. How long are you taking a break for?_

_**M:** [Laughs] it’s not a break from music altogether. I’m taking a break from touring._

_**A:** And why is that?_

_**M:** I just want to head back home and spend some time with family and friends._

_**A:** I see. There’s reports that it’s to see your partner, is that true?_

_**M:** [Frowns] I don’t have a partner._

_**A:** But you have met your soulmate, have you not?_

_**M:** Yeah I have bu-‘_

Luke was interrupted from his phone by Ashton coughing behind him. 

“Nice to see you’re alive, Luke” 

“Give me a cigarette, will you?” He asked. 

Luke looked at Ashton strangely and handed him the packet. 

“Thought you quit.” 

“I only do at work. Don’t tell Calum.” He responded. 

Luke shook his head and took the packet back after Ashton took one, and lit another one. 

“Why are you home?” Luke asked. 

“Half-day.” 

They sat watching the clouds go by in silence, letting the smoke fly into the air when they exhaled. 

“So,” Ashton started, “have you decided what you’re gonna do yet?” He stubbed the cigarette out in the ashtray. 

“Should probably meet the guy, shouldn’t I?” Luke offered. 

Ashton let out a breath of air, “like I said the other day, I’m not your parent so I can’t tell you what to do. But I can offer advice.” 

Luke nodded, stubbing his cigarette out. 

“I think you should,” Ashton slapped a hand on Luke’s back as he stood up, “have you any idea when?” 

“Today.” 

Luke stood and met Ashton’s eyes. 

“I can arrange it for you. Where?” He asked. 

“Here, if that’s okay with you and Calum?” 

Ashton put his arm around his friend and replied with a brief ‘yes.’ 

“We’ll head out and give you privacy. But for the love of God, please get washed Luke. You stink.” 

———— 

It was 5PM, and the house was empty except for Luke. Calum and Ashton had taken Harley to the beach. 

This was the most nervous Luke had ever been. He couldn’t stop fixing his hair in the mirror that was hung above the fireplace. 

Calum and Ashton told him it would be fine. They also told him there was beer in the fridge if he needed to calm down. Luke had already drank 3 and it helped slightly. 

He was pacing the living room, the TV turned down so he could hear the door going. He checked his watch. 

5:24PM. 

Michael was late. And it didn’t bother Luke. The longer he wasn’t here, the better everything was, right? 

Luke sat down on the sofa and lifted the beer from the coffee table, taking a swig. He never drank. Sure, there was a glass of champagne here and there, and at the max five beers when he was home, but that was it. He didn’t want to drink too much, embarrassing himself and all that. 

The door bell rang and Luke panicked. 

He got up slowly. He could just escape through the back door, couldn’t he? Ashton’s keys were in the kitchen and he had parked in the street, he could hop in the car and he’d be free. 

But the door bell rang again, and Luke knew he couldn’t do that. He smoothed himself down and walked to the door, taking a deep breath when he opened it. 

And Michael was standing there, now 32 minutes late. 

He was wearing a plain grey hoodie, black skinny jeans, and a pair of combat boots. A black cap covered his messy, blonde hair. 

Was that aftershave Luke could smell? It was invigorating. It drew Luke in straight away. 

All the younger boy could do was stare at Michael. Handsome, very handsome, eyebrow pierced, neck tattooed Michael. 

“Are you not going to let me in? Because, y’know I could go.” Michael joked, pointing his thumbs behind his shoulder to his car. 

Luke came to his senses, “y-yeah of course, come in.” 

Luke could feel the tips of his ears going red. He was embarrassed. Too embarrassed. Michael was beautiful and Luke couldn’t deny that. 

“Where’s Harley?” Michael asked, throwing his keys onto the coffee table. He sat down on the armchair and put his feet beside his keys. 

Luke sat the end of the three-seater, farthest away from Michael. 

“Cal and Ash took her to the beach.” Luke offered a smile. 

“She’s a sweet dog, isn’t she? Prefer cats myself, I’m sure you would’ve known that at this point.” Michael took a jab and Luke knew it, he even laughed lightly. 

But Luke knew he was making light of the situation. And he couldn’t even blame Michael. 

“You look nice.” 

Michael smiled at him, “so do you.” 

Then there was silence, Luke didn’t know what to do. 

But Michael could sense the awkwardness. 

“‘M gonna go for a smoke, wanna come?” Michael asked. He stood up and fixed his hat. 

Luke nodded and walked towards the kitchen. 

The sun had started to set, and it was something Luke loved. He loved sunsets, how all the colours began to merge into one and the stars starting to show. 

He sat down at the table and took his cigarettes from his pockets, offering one to Michael when he sat down. 

“Didn’t know you smoked, thought modelling was strict.” Michael snorted, sliding one out of the packet. 

Luke took one himself, “I’d be more concerned for you. Y’know, for singing and shit.” 

Michael shook his head and laughed, “won’t be doing for a while, mate. Album’s recorded, so I’m doing jack shit for the next 8 months.” He smoked the cigarette cooly. 

They smoked in silence until they were done, and Luke followed Michael back into the living room. 

Luke grabbed the tv remote as he sat down and put on the first music channel he could find. Of course, a video of Michael’s playing. 

“Hey, look it’s me!” 

Luke rolled his eyes. 

“Have you even listened to any of my music?” Michael queried. 

Luke shook his head to say no. 

“Ah okay, that’s cool. Understandable on your end, with all that hiding from me you’re doing.” 

“I highly doubt you pay attention to anything I do, Michael.” Luke retorted. 

Michael burst into a fit of giggles, that escalated into full-blown laughter. 

“You’re joking me, right?” 

Luke was confused. Michael stood up and sat beside Luke, knees touching his. Sweat started to run down the back of Luke’s neck. 

Michael pulled out his phone and unlocked it. His home screen was a picture of Luke. 

_“You do realise that I look like one of your biggest stalkers, right?” Michael opened the photo app, “every runway you’ve walked, I’ve been there. Completely looking out of place, but I have been there.”_

_Michael showed Luke the photos, there was ones of him on the runway, then magazine covers, and finally candid photos._

__

__

Luke didn’t know what to say. 

“Every time I hear that you’re back in Australia, I catch the first flight that I can back out. I don’t have the nerve to speak to you because I know you don’t want me to.” Michael explained, “Calum phoned me a couple of days back and said you were coming back. So I got a flight, the same flight you were on, but you didn’t even see me, even though I was a couple of rows behind you. Honestly, Luke. I don’t know what your problem is with me, but you need to realise that I’m your soulmate, and we’re destined to spend the rest of our shitty lives together.” 

Michael was red in the face at this point. Luke didn’t know whether it was from embarrassment or from being angry. Maybe a combination of the two? 

“I read your letters.” Luke quietly said, shrinking into himself. 

“Well?” Michael turned to look him straight in the eye. 

“You’re sappy.” Luke half smiled, punching Michael lightly on the shoulder. 

“What can I say, I’m a true romantic. Sue me.” Michael held his hands up. 

Silence filled the room again. 

“Why do you hate me?” Michael asked. He was scrolling through his twitter feed. 

Luke was embarrassed now. How was he going to explain that one. _‘Hey Michael! I hate you because 19 year old me listened to one of your songs and didn’t like it. Or your stupid, beautiful face.’_

But Luke hadn’t realised he had said it out loud until Michael was laughing again. 

“Jesus fucking Christ, Luke! You hate me,” he wiped his tears away, “because you didn’t like ONE song?!” 

Luke stood up, he was crying. Fuck, he was actually crying. And Michael didn’t know what to do. Sure, he had fans crying when he met them, but that was different. Luke’s his _soulmate_. 

“The last time I cried, it was because of you. And now, I’m crying again because of you!” Luke shouted. 

“Then why are you crying? Luke it was one song, it nothing overly stupid!” Michael exclaimed. Ashton _had_ told him to be firm with him. 

Luke sat back down on the sofa, holding his head in his hands, “because when you say it, it sounds so fucking stupid.” 

“Well,” Michael put his arm around the younger boy, “why don’t we start over?” 

Luke sat up and seen Michael with his hand outstretched. 

“Hi, I’m Michael Gordon Clifford and I’m 24. I like cats, leftover pizza, dying my hair, tattoos, and your face.” 

Luke smiled and grasped Michael’s hand, “I’m Luke Robert Hemmings and I’m 23. I like dogs, coffee, shitty reality tv, and I also like your face.” 

Michael and Luke burst out laughing at the same time. 

“See, that wasn’t that hard was it?” Michael questioned. 

Luke let go of Michael’s hand and slipped out a small ‘no.’ 

———— 

Calum opened the front door, Ashton and Harley in tow. 

“-so I told her to catch a grip! She worked at Subway for God’s sakes. Oh, hey guys.” 

Harley ran up the stairs into the main bedroom, leaving Calum and Ashton to look on in disbelief. 

Michael and Luke were cuddled up on their sofa, holding hands, and smiling. 

“I take it it went smoothly then, huh?” Ashton smirked. 

Luke buried his head into Michael’s shoulder. 

“He’s drunk. Very drunk.” Michael admitted. 

Beer bottles covered the coffee table, but surprisingly in an orderly fashion. 

“I’m gonna go for a smoke, anyone wanna join?” Michael asked. Only hoping that Luke would come. 

And he was. 

They were sitting across from eachother at the table and Luke had a shit eating grin on his face. 

“What?” Michael laughed. 

“You’re just so pretty.” 

Michael blushed, “that’s the 7th time you’ve told me tonight, Luke.” 

“I know.” 

They didn’t even have a cigarette, they just sat and looked at eachother. 

“So,” Michael started, “where do we go from here?” 

Luke reached his hand out and Michael laced it with his, with that same stupid grin on his face. 

“Wherever you go, I’ll be there.” 

**Author's Note:**

> it’s ya friendly neighbourhood mukeman back with more trash lmao
> 
> tbh even tho this is stupidly long for what it is, i kinda wanna do another part? lemme know down before
> 
> i don’t use my tumblr anymore but if y’all wanna come and talk about this, my url is: michaolclifford


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